(Resource News International) — The Canadian government on Tuesday will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with India regarding agricultural trade issues, Canada’s agriculture minister Gerry Ritz said in a teleconference from New Dehli on Monday.
Ritz is visiting India with industry representatives from Pulse Canada and Canada Pork International as part of a trade mission to help improve export opportunities to the region.
“During this time of global economic uncertainty we must continue to maximize these trade opportunities out here on the world stage,” said Ritz.
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Canada already exports close to $500 million worth of agricultural commodities and products to India annually, said Ritz, noting that “there’s lots of room for exports to grow as the end use population increases and people here look for new products.”
The MOU with India, to be finalized Tuesday, “will provide a stronger framework to increase our exports to India and resolve trade irritants more quickly,” Ritz said.
The Canadian delegation will move on to Hong Kong on Wednesday, where the focus will be on expanding the markets for Canada’s beef industry.
“I’ll work with my counterparts in Hong Kong to allow some Canadian beef imports as part of a process to fully reopen that market to Canadian beef over the coming months,” said Ritz.
